Process for making sound-records.



"cameo sTaTas TATTNT OFFICE JONAS W. AYLSWORTH, OF EAST ORANGE, NEWJERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO NEW JERSEY PATENT COMPANY, OF WEST ORANGE, NEWJERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW Patented July 1a, was.

JERSEY.

PROCESS FOR MAKING SOUND-RECORDS.

1 146 353. Specification of Letters Patent.

No Drawing. Application filed February 11, 1910. Serial No. 543,236.

characteristics from substances of the classdescribed in a simple,inexpensive and eificacious manner. The materials from which Imanufacture the sound records are in their final state non-fusible,insoluble and difficult to mold by processes requiring the material tobe cast or pressed while in a plastic state.

The materialsreferred to are condensation products of phenol orequivalent substances, and formaldehyde or other material containing themethylene radicalCH proposed to carry the reaction of such substances toan intermediate state only and to harden the same in a mold in Whichthey are shaped to the final, refractory and infusible condition. Thehardening reaction of such intermediate phenolic condensation productsand other condensation reactions of similar character requires aconsiderable time even when a relatively high temperature is employed,resulting in the necessity of employing expensive matrices in largenumbers in order that the required output of a given sound record may beobtained, and which accordingly, curtails the number of facsimiles whichmay be made from each matrix per diem. I

My invention greatly increases the number of records which may be madefrom each matrix per day, and also obviates another objectionablefeature incident to themanufacture of sound records molded fromcondensation products wherein the reaction is caused to culminateentirely or in part, while the 'product is inclosed in the matrix underthe influence of heat and pressure, which consists in the entrapping ofby products of the reaction Within the intermolecular spaces of theproduct. These by products may consist of water vapor, vapor of ammonia,excess of formaldehyde or other ma- It has been terial containing themethylene radical, etc., according to the specific character of thecomposition employed. These gaseous prod ucts even though they may be.small in amount, impair the surface of the record to an extent causing aphonetic roughness, and otherwise impair the quality of a high graderecord. I

My invention relates specifically to the molding of disk records ofeither the vertical or transverse groove type, although it is obviousthat the same methods may be used for making the cylindrical type ofrecord.

My invention comprises broadly a process for manufacturing records and asound record as a new article of manufacture composed of the ingredientshereinafter to be described, which record may broadly be of either thedisk or cylindrical type; my in vention also comprises specifically, adisk sound record formed in the manner and by thespecific process to bedescribed.

The process of manufacturing disk records involves four principal stepsor operations.

I The first step consists in the preparation of the composition in sucha manner that the vcomponents thereof may react chemically or li 'iirdento form a hard infusible product i i'en subsequently heated to theproper reacting temperature.

The second step consists in heating the composition to the desired formin a blank mold heated only sufiiciently to render the compositionplastic, so that it may be compressed to fill the mold and weld the massto a solid unit of the desired shape. This blank has not'so far beengiven its final hardening.

The third step consists in removing the blank so formed from the mold,heating it in a suitable receptacle for the purpose of hardening or"completing the reaction, and permitting the by products of the reactionto evaporate or escape from the blank.

The fourth; step consists in pressing the hardened blank in a hot matrixto form the desired sound record. 1

The material which I use for forming blanks and subsequently recordstherefrom, is of such a character that in its final condition it isrefractory, infusible, insoluble, but is rendered sufliciently plasticby application of a suitable amount of heat to take a ciently plastic bythe action of heat to take an impression from a mold or die, but myimproved composition has this characterlstic because of the inclusiontherein of an element of the class which I denote as final productsolvent elements, as disclosed in my application Serial No. 496,060,filed May 14, 1909, and entitled plastic composition and process ofmanufacturing the same upon which U. S. Patent No. 1,102,630 has beengranted.

It may be Well to state that it is now well known that phenolic bodiesmay be caused to react when combined with formaldehyde or polymersthereof to form condensation products of various degrees of hardness andinfusibility. One type of these products are fusible resinous productswhich are known by the general name. of shellac substitutes. These aresoluble in various solvents, may be melted, and are suitable generallyfor use as substitutes for shellac and similar uses. The other type ofreaction products referred to is a hard infusible insoluble amorphousmass which is chemically inert. A great practical difiiculty in the useof the last named product has been that when the reaction has beencarried on at sufficiently high temperatures and with sufficient energyto enable the product to be formed within a reasonably short time, gasesof dissocia tion of formaldehyde or the like have been evolved, togetherwith water vapors, which have rendered the mass porous and consequentlyunfit for most industrial applications. It has been proposed to hastenthe reaction by the use of catalytic or so-called condensing agents insmall quantity, which, however, leave objectionable components in themass or traces thereof, result in the evolution of gas, and aid in thesetting up of internal stresses within the substance, which render itbrittle and distorted and shorten the llfe and usefulness of theproduct. It

has also been proposed to perform the final reaction insuch substancesunder counteracting pressure, which prevents in large measure, theformation of objectionable bubbles and porosity, this process beingsimilar to the well known method of vulcanizing rubber and theemployment of pressure inv the manufacture of other industrialcompositions. The use of such pressure results in the entrapping ofwater vapors and other gases within the substance in the mannerdescribed in my application Serial. No. 543,238, entitled phenoliccondensation product and method of preparin Feb. 11, 1910, upon which U.Patent No. 1,120,593 has been granted. This result a necessarily takesplace if the counteracting same, filed pressure is greater than thepressure of the water vapor or other gases, as it must be to prevent theescape of-su'ch gases during the reaction.

In my application Serial No. 496,060 above referred to, I describe afinal phenolic condensation product and a method of preparing the samein which catalytic agents. are not required, and in which the use of acounteracting pressure during the final re action is not necessary. Thisresult is attained by the formation, first, of a final or permanentlyfusible primary reaction product in which the formaldehyde ormethylene-containing element is all combined with the phenol, and thephenol is all or practicallyall combined with the aldehyde. A hardeningreaction is then caused to take place between this product andformaldehyde or a polymer thereof in quantity just sufficient to combinewith all of the fusible condensation product to form the final hardcondensation product, the methylene-com taining or hardening ingredientbeing used 7 in relatively small quantities and the heat of the reactionbeing regulated to prevent the escape offormaldehyde gas during thereaction. It was my discovery that formaldehyde or othermethylene-containing agent and a phenolic body may be combined andcaused to react in such proportions that the fusible condensationproduct referred to is formed, and this substance may then be combinedwith a further amount of formaldehyde or other methylene containing ingredie'nt to form the final condensation product. The proportionsrequired for the formation of the fusible product referred to in orderto get the best results are three parts of phenol to two parts offormaldeently causes the chemical reaction a c.mon +z cm)o= -YCBHO+2HQO7H:

H: """T'" \C5H50 The final hardening reaction when paraform or otheranhydrous form of formaldehyde is used apparently causes the chemicalwhen the parafo rm is used in suitable quan tity. When hexa methylenetetra amin is used in place of the paraform, as described in applicationSerial No. 543,238 above referred to, the reaction apparently is C HsQ011, Bi canol+ cmnm=s c.n,oom)=+4nm CH,

CsHeO The product formed by either reaction hyde by molecular weights.This apparhardens on the application of a suitable amount of heat to aninfusible refractory resinous amorphous mass of a pale amber color whenthe reacting substances are pure.

Subsequent to the date of my invention em-- bodied in application SerialNo. 96,060 above referred to, I discovered that a substance containing amethylene radicalother than the oxid or hydroxid and preferablyhcxamethylene -amin or hexa methylenetetra-amm, as it is sometimescalled (Cll,),,N,, or other methylene-amm compound, might be substitutedfor the paraamount of the methylene-amin to theexact proportionnecessary for combining with the fusible condensation product, since gasis not evolved during the reaction if the methylene-21min is present inexcess, the methylene-amin only parting. with its methylene uponreaction with the fusible condensation product in exchange for hydrogenfrom the fusible product, which unites with the nitrogen of themethyleneamin to form ammonia. i

My improved phonograph record is formed from the substances described inthe applications referred to and takes advantage of the discoveriestherein recited.

While the .use of the specific fusible product referred toiispreferable, I may use various of the so-called shellac substitutes onthe market for combination with the methylenecontaining ingredient toform the final product with good results So far as I know, no one priorto my discoveries above referred to, formed a filialcondensationphenolic product by first forming a fusible product andadding thereto an ingredient which upon further heat treatment resultedin a final infu-sible condensation product,

nor was the nature of the substances referred to accurately known. Thegeneral practice was to mix together in the first place all theingredients necessary for the formation of the-final infusible product,and to heat the same either in one-or several stages to produce thefinal product. This resulted in the formation of a product which at allstages of the class described, are fully set forth in my applicationsreferred to above.

The first step noted above in the formation of my improved sound recordcomprises the mixing together of a completed fusible solublecondensation product, such as certainshellac substitutes of phenolicorigin, or

the phenol resin referred to above and fully described in my co-pendingapplications above referred to, together with the following substances:a final product solvent ele- "ment or plasticity component; amethylenecontaining agent or substance which will yield the methyleneradical in exchange for an equivalent amount of hydrogen from thephenolic resin; a suitable filling component,

such-as inert powdered materials of mineral or organic nature. Each ofthese components is present in proper proportion to form a completedproduct of desired color, hardness and texture, when submitted to thesubsequent operations.

Examples of compositions of the class specified are the following:

' Phenol resin or equivalent shellac substitute-100 parts by weight.

Solid solvent or plasticity component such as meta-di-nitro-benzole,nitro-naphthalene,

camphor, stearic amid or other solid acid amids of the acetic series10to 20 parts.

Methylene yielding agent'such as hexamethylene-amin, tri-oXy-methylene,thio-formic-aldehyde7 to 11 parts.

Pigment such as lamp black-2 to 5 parts.

Mineral filling agent such as plaster of Paris, bariumsulfate,'infusorial earth, clay, etc.50 to 300 parts, or as analternative, an organic filling agent such as-powdered amber, woodfiour, ivory nut dust, insoluble casein salts, infusible resinates,infusible condensation products in powdered form- 50 to 100 parts. i

Of the above named solid solvents or plasticity components,meta-di-nitro-benzol and nitro-naphthalene are preferred because theyare neither volatile nor water soluble. The equivalents of thesecomponents could, of course, also be used.

The composition may be mixed bypowerful kneading machines or ground orrolled .at temperatures below the reaction temperature which for theabove type of composition is about 180 degrees F. The mixed material maybe pulverized or may be formed in rough cakes suitable for compressingor consolidating in subsequent molding operations.

, The second step comprises the consolidation of the powdered substancesor compression of therough cake into a suitable heated blankmold byhydraulic or other pressure and the removal of the blank from the mold,which may be accomplished without cooling when some compositions areused.while with others it is necessary to first cool the mass.

a suflicient time to allow the complete hardening reaction totake placeand drying out or expelling the undesirable reaction products previouslymentioned. During this operation, the blank may be supported in such amanner that it will lie flat and that the reaction by products mayescape readily. It is obvious that as much time as is required may beused in this operation, even though it takes several hours or even days,without injurious consequences, since no expensive molds are involvedand caused to remain idle during this step of the process.

When the blanks are hardened in finished condition they may be storedfor indefinite periods preparatory to use in the fourth step of theprocess, consisting in pressing the blanks to make sound records fromsuitable matrices, or they may be taken at once from the oven whilestill hot and placed in the record matrix, which is also heated to theproper temperature for rendering the particular composition usedsuficiently plastic to take the impression of the sound waves from thematrix. This fourth step is carried out by means of hydraulic presses,and the matrices are cooled in the presses, this operation requiring theuse of the mold but a few moments. Records thus made have no tendency tostick to the mold, which is often the result when the final reaction iscaused to take place within the mold. Furthermore,

the records may be repressed if desired to make them over when obsolete.Furthermore, there is no tendency for the filling material in thecomposition to injure or wear the matrix or for the components of thecomposition to corrode the matrix when the composition is made asdescribed in contradistinction to similar records made when theoperation is carried on by heat and pressure within the matrix.

When cylindrical sound records are to be made in accordance with myinvention, the ingredients are prepared, mixed and consolidated to shapein a blank cylindrical mold, the mold being heated and pressure appliedin any desirable manner to mold the blank. Preferably, the heat employedis of a temperature less than the reaction temperature of thecomposition. The blank is then cooled and upon shrinking sufficiently isremoved from the blank mold by direct longitudinal movement thereof. Itis then heated in an oven or other suitable receptacle sufficiently topermit the hardening reaction to take place and the harmful reaction byproducts to escape in the manner referred to in connection with theprocess as applied; to disk blanks either being put into the moldsdirectly from the oven while still hot, or if they are stored for futureuse, they may be heated sufficiently to become plastic before .beingplaced in the sound record matrix.

The pressure may be appliedupon the blanks to form the record in anysuitable manner, and the records thus formed are cooled sufficiently toshrink away from the record surface, when they may be removed from themold, or they may be removed by means of suction applied tothe interiorof the record or pressure applied to the outer surface of the record, orboth, as disclosed in my application Serial No. 487,360, filed Apr. 1,1909, upon which U. S. Patent No. 1,036,416 has been granted.

While I consider it preferable to form sound records and blanks by theprocesses described, it should be understood that my invention comprisesbroadly sound records and blanks formed of the substances described byany suitable process, such records being, to the best of my knowledge,novel articles of manufacture however formed. Thus, while I prefer toform sound records by the processes described, in which the record isformed upon the blank by pressing, it is possible to form records of thesubstances described by a casting operation, that is to say, by carryingon all the necessary reactions to form the final article within the molditself. It also should be understood that any water vapor containedwithin the mass may be absorbed by a suitable percentage of aWater-absorbing element, as described in my application Serial No. 496,-060, and that if a methylene-amin compound is used as a hardening agent,as is described in my application Serial No. 543,238 above referred to,the ammonia evolved may be fixed by the addition of a small percentageof an ammonia fixing agent to the mass, such as one of the anhydrids ofthe higher members of the acids of the acetic series or phthalic "orbenzoic anhydrid, which results in the formation .of an acid amid, whichsubstance has the desirable properties of acting as a final productsolvent agent or plasticity or Water-combining agent, as well as anammonia fixing agent.

The sound record formed by any of the processes described above isexceedingly hard and is exceptionally well adapted to tion than wouldotherwise be the case. The volume of sound and clearneSgof definition onreproduction increases directly with the hardness of the recordsubstance, as indicated by any known method of measuring hardness.Accordingly, as stated, the composition of which 1 now propose to formsound records, because of its exceeding hardness gives a greatlyimproved reproduction.

The article disclosed herein is claimed in my copending applicationSerial No. 30,197, filed May 24, 1915, which is a division of thisapplication.

Having now described my invention, What I claim and desire to protect byLetters Patent is as follows:

1. The process of forming sound records which consists in forming ablank of final hardened phenolic condensation product of such a natureas to be rendered sufiiciently plastic by subsequent application of heatto take a clear impression from a sound record matrix, heating the sameto render the same plastic, and then pressing the same into a suitablesound record matrix, substantially as described.

.2. The process of forming sound records which consists in mixingtogether a fusible phenol resin, a non-volatile and non-watersolublefinal product solvent, and an anhydrous hardening agent, heating thecomposition to harden it, and forming a sound record therefrom in'asuitable mold, substantially as described.

3. The process of forming sound record blanks whiclrcomprises mixingtogether a permanently fusible phenolic product and an agent capable ofreacting chemically with said product to form a hardened phenoliccondensation product, consolidating said ingredients into a sound recordblank, and transforming the same by chemical action into said hardenedproduct, substantially as described.

4. The process of forming sound record blanks which comprises mixingtogether ingredients which react chemically to form a final hardenedphenolic condensation product together with a non-volatile and nonwatersoluble final product solvent, consolidating said ingredients intoshape, and heating said ingredients to form said final har-' denedproduct by chemical action, substantially as described.

5. The process of forming sound record blanks which consists in mixingtogether a fusible phenol resin, a non-volatile and nonwater solublefinal product solvent and amethylene containing substance at atemperature below the reaction temperature of the composition, forming ablank therefrom in a suitable mold, removing the blank from the mold,and heating the same sufliciently to cause the hardening of thecomposition by chemical action, substantially as described.

6. The process of forming sound record blanks which consists in mixingtogether a soluble final product solvent, an inert filling,

material, and an anhydrous hardening agent, heating the composition toharden it and forming a sound record therefrom in a suitable mold,substantially as described.

8. The process of formingsound records which consists in mixing togethera fusible phenol resin, a non-volatile and non-watersoluble finalproduct solvent and an anhydrous hardening agent containing themethylene radical at a temperature below the reaction temperature of thecomposition, molding to shape, heating sufliciently to cause the finalhardening reaction, and forming the sound record thereon when heatedsul'liciently to be sufficiently plastic, substantially as described.

9. The process of forming sound records which consists in mixingtogether a fusible phenol resin, a non-volatile and non-watersolublefinal product solvent and methyleneamin compound or derivative, heatingthe composition to harden it, and forming a sound record therefromin asuitable mold, substantially as described.

10. The process of forming sound records which consists in mixingtogether a fusible phenol resin, a non-volatile and non-Watersolublefinal product solvent, heXa-methylene-tetra-amin, and an inert fillingmaterial, heating the COIIIPOSltlOIl to harden it, and forming a soundrecord therefrom in a suitable mold, substantially as described.

11. The process of forming sound records which consists in mixingtogether ingredients which react on application of sufficient heat toform a hard final infusible phenolic condensation product together witha nonvolatile and non-Water-soluble final product solvent, molding thesame into a blank, hardening by heat treatment to the final infusibleproduct, rendering plastic by heat and pressing a sound record thereon,substantially as described.

12 The process of forming sound records which consists in mixingtogether ingredients which react on application of sutficient heat toform a hard final infusible phenolic condensation product together witha nonvolatile and non-watei soluble final product sition, removing fromthe blank mold, hardening by heat treatment to the-final infusibleproduct, rendering plastic by heat and pressing a sound record thereon,substantially as described.

13. The process of forming sound records Which consists in mixingtogether a fusible phenol resin, a non-volatile and non-Watersolublefinal product solvent, and a methylene-c0ntaining hardening agent,molding in a heated blank mold, removing theblank therefrom andhardening by suflicient heat to cause the final reaction, and formingthe sound record thereon by pressing the blank against a suitable matrixwith the blank in plastic condition, substantially as described.

14. The process of forming sound records Which consists in mixingtogether a fusible phenol resin, a non-volatile and non-watersolublefinal product solvent, a filling material, and a methylene-containinghardening agent, molding in a heated blank mold, removing the blanktherefrom and harden-- ing by sufiicient heat to cause the finalreaction, and forming the sound record thereon by pressing the blankagainst a suitable matrix With the blank in plastic condition,substantially as described.

15. The process of forming sound records which consists in mixingtogether ingredients Which react chemically on application of.suflicient heat to form a hard final infusible phenolic condensationproduct together with. a non-volatile and non-Water-soluble finalproduct solvent, forming the same into a blank, hardening the blank byapplication of heat to the final infusible product, and pressing a soundrecord into the blank With the blank in a heated plastic condition,substantially as described.

16. The process of forming sound records which consists in'miXingtogether a fusible phenol resin, a non-volatile and non-Water solublefinal product solvent, and a methylene-containing hardening agent,forming the same into a blank, hardening the blank to an infusible stateby application of sufiicient heat, and pressing a sound record into theblank with the blank in a heated plastic condition, substantially asdescribed.

17. The process of forming sound records which consists in mixingtogether ingredients which react chemically on application 0% sufiicientheat to form a hard finalinfusible phenolic condensation product,together with a non-volatile and non-Water soluble final productsolvent, molding the mixture in a heated blank mold, removing the blankthus formed from the blank mold, hardening the blank by sufficient heatto cause the final hardening reaction, and pressing a sound record intothe blank with the blank in a heated plastic condition.

This specification signed and witnessed this 8th day of February 1910.

JONAS W. AYLSWORTH.

WVitnesses:

DYER SMITH, JOHN'M. CANFLELD.

